


Going Up

by PurplePatchwork



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: M/M, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-14
Updated: 2015-04-14
Packaged: 2018-03-22 23:46:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3747607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurplePatchwork/pseuds/PurplePatchwork
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tino gets stuck in the elevator with an intimidating yet interesting Swede at work.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Tino Väinämöinen was having some very bad luck today.

His alarm clock hadn't gone off in the morning, he had burnt his toast, he'd been stuck in a traffic jam of major proportions, his boss had scolded him for being late, he had drunk coffee that'd gone cold due to the coffee machine being broken, and he had spilled the contents of his briefcase all over the floor when he bumped into a very grumpy Arthur Kirkland from accounting.

But that wasn't the end of it. Oh no, his day had only gotten worse. Because right now, he was stuck in the elevator along with the infamous Berwald Oxenstierna.

Berwald wasn't infamous because he was a bad employee. On the contrary, he'd always been a diligent worker. He never showed up late at work, he was well-organized and neat, and he had quickly worked his way up the ladder and made it to the position of CEO. He certainly wasn't infamous for his ethics at work.

Then why did he deserve the title of 'stern and scary'?

Well, first of all, he was quite a tall and intimidating man. The only employee who could match him on the subject of height was Ivan Braginski over at sales (another well-known name at the company). But on top of that, he always had this expression on his face that could make even the bravest man or woman cower in fear behind their desk. He probably (or so Tino wanted to believe, trying to see the good in every single person) didn't do it on purpose, but his face _did_ make him look rather unapproachable. He also was a man of few words, and when he did talk he only said the things that really needed to be said, while looking like he'd rather be somewhere else.

Yet, since he was so good at doing his actual job, people respected him. So did Tino, hoping he could one day be as good as his senior co-worker.

Right now however, he was only thinking about how he wanted to escape this rectangular box as fast as possible.

Tino secretly glanced up at Berwald from the corner of his eyes. He immediately looked down again when he noticed the Swede openly glaring at him.

_'Why is he staring at me?'_   he anxiously thought. Cold sweat started running down his neck. He had to say something. "So, uh… N-nice weather today, huh?"

_'Why on earth am I talking about the weather?! This sucks!'_

"Hm," was the only response he got. Why did Berwald keep staring at him? Did he have something on his face? Stupid elevator, why did it have to break down today of all times! If only he hadn't been stuck in traffic, or if he hadn't decided to take a quick coffee break, if _anything_ at all had gone differently, he wouldn't have to go through this right now.

"'Re y' h't?" Berwald suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Tino turned his head towards the other. He hadn't expected Berwald to start talking to him.

"Am I- Am I hot? Oh no, not at all!" Tino replied. His mind had somehow immediately made the link between Berwald's (lack of a) sentence, and the meaning of those sounds. Normally, people found it quite hard to figure out exactly what the Swede was saying, but to Tino it made sense for some weird reason.

Berwald nodded and grew quiet again. Now it was Tino's turn to come up with something new to say.

"So… Sucks that the elevator stopped huh? I was actually in quite a hurry to get these papers to the boss, but I guess he'll just have to wait for them now!" he sheepishly laughed.

Berwald put out his right hand – the one that wasn't holding his briefcase. Tino looked at it in confusion, and then back at Berwald. He wasn't sure what exactly was expected of him.

"Um…"

"G've m' the p'p'rs."

"Oh!" Tino handed him the papers. There was a light brush of fingers, which made Tino jerk back his hand as if he'd been electrocuted. Berwald's frown increased ever so slightly.

_'Shit, he isn't mad, is he?'_   Tino started blushing when he realized how rude he was behaving.

"Sorry!" he blurted out. "I just have sweaty hands and I didn't want you to have to touch them!"

Well, this was just perfect. He had made a complete fool out of himself. Now what was Berwald supposed to think of him? Tino felt like sinking through the bottom of the elevator and vanishing in thin air at the same time.

What he didn't expect was for Berwald to pull out a clean handkerchief and gesture for him to give his hand. Tino hesitantly did as he was told.

Berwald started gently cleaning his hand (even though it hadn't been all that sweaty in the first place, that was just some lame excuse). He dried each finger with the greatest care, handling it as he would a fragile object. Tino felt his face heat up as Berwald's fingers lingered over the surface of his smaller hand a little longer than absolutely necessary.

"Y-you didn't have to do that…" he croaked, throat now dryer than a dessert.

Berwald's face relaxed into something that could be considered the faintest of smiles. "No pr'bl'm."

Blue eyes locked for the shortest of moments before Tino looked away, feeling both nervously terrified and strangely warm and jittery.

"I'll t'ke th' p'p'rs to th' boss," Berwald said.

Tino was about to tell him he didn't have to, but the look on Berwald's face left no opening for discussion, so Tino simply nodded and looked down at the floor again.

They both stood there in silence, Tino trying to ignore the incessant staring and the loud beating of his own heart.

Once the elevator finally started moving upwards again, Tino felt both relieved and a tiny bit disappointed. Berwald remained silent until they reached the top floor, were both of their offices as well as the boss' one were located.

But when the doors opened and Tino moved to exit his prison, he felt a light tug at his sleeve. He glanced over his shoulder, heart still pounding like crazy.

"W'ld you c're f'r d'nner th's Fr'd'? F'r t'kin' c're 'f th' p'p'rs." Was he blushing?

Tino mentally translated the sentence to "Would you care for dinner this Friday? For taking care of the papers."

"Oh, um… Sure?" was his hesitant answer.

Berwald nodded and left for the boss' office. Tino stared at his retreating back, face warm and heart fluttering in his chest.

Maybe today wasn't such a bad day after all.

* * *

During that week, Tino found Berwald dropping by his office from time to time. They'd had contact before that fated day of the elevator ride, but that had only been business. Now, it was more than that. Sometimes he would come to drop of some paperwork or the occasional cup of coffee, other times to make small talk about work (Tino doing most of the talking). But every time as he was about to leave, he had this strange look in his eyes, as if he wanted to say something but didn't have the guts to.

And Tino? He just couldn't get Berwald's gentle touch out of his head. He found himself looking forward to the visits, a small part of him wanting to be touched again. It became harder by the day to keep the blush out of his face.

By the time it was Friday evening, Tino had almost gone completely mad with the desire to just launch himself into the guy's arms. But since the other was Berwald, he couldn't exactly allow himself to do that.

Needless to say, by the time they were seated in the rather expensive looking restaurant, Tino was a nervous wreck.

Tino had wanted to object to going to such a classy establishment, but Berwald had waved it away by saying "My treat" (for once he took the time to articulate properly).

As Tino tried to decide what to eat, he stole glances at the Swede. What did Berwald think of him? Surely it had to be something, _he_ had been the one doing all the visiting and taking him out for dinner. Wait, did that mean this was a date? Tino started heating up again. He'd done that a lot this week.

As Berwald started fanning him with his menu card, Tino looked up, confused. "W-what are you doing?" he asked.

"D'n't w'nt y' to c'tch a f'v'r," Berwald said, which Tino translated in Berwald not wanting him to catch a fever. So he'd noticed Tino blushing, but had interpreted it the wrong way.

"Oh, no! That's quite all right, I'll cool down by myself." Tino laughed sheepishly. Berwald stopped the fanning after a calculating look at Tino's face. Did he suspect something?

Luckily, they were interrupted when the waiter came. With the interruption, it became easier for Tino to calm down and start talking about this and that. Tino loved to talk and Berwald was a good listener, so it was a match made in heaven.

Tino started to trail of as he felt knees bumping into his own. He tried to shyly move away, but there was nowhere to go. Was Berwald doing this on purpose? Then, Tino saw Berwald's hand lying on the table. That soft, big, warm hand of his. Did he dare touch it?

Just as the Finn had gathered the courage to do it, their food arrived. He quickly jerked his arm up and awkwardly scratched his head. Berwald gave him a questioning look, but said nothing of it.

They silently ate their dinner, and Berwald paid for all of it. Tino was disappointed the evening had ended so soon, but maybe it was for the better. All this stress couldn't be good for his heart, and he was afraid he would embarrass himself if they were to spend more time together.

"Well… Thank you for the food, Berwald," Tino said with a smile as he pulled up a cab.

However, Berwald laid a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"I'll t'ke you h'me," Berwald said.

Tino swallowed hard and got into the cab, directly followed by the Swede. Once seated, Berwald made no attempt to remove his arm.

Tino's head was spinning. Shit, Berwald was coming to his apartment! Did he even want to come inside? Yes, of course he did, he wouldn't be coming with him if that wasn't his intention! And why couldn't he remove his arm, that would make it a lot less difficult to concentrate.

Tino's breath caught when he felt a thumb softly stroking his collarbone.

Oh yes. There was no questioning Berwald's intentions now. But was Tino ready for it? He knew the answer when his skin started tingling, wanting to feel more of the Swede's hands.

* * *

They had arrived at his apartment. And Tino was very nervous.

"So, um… S-see you at work?" he asked in a tiny voice. Shit, why was this so difficult! He just wanted to leap at Berwald, kiss him passionately and wrap his body around the other's, but instead he was telling him off!

His thoughts came to an abrupt halt when he felt a hand gingerly being placed on top of his cheek. He looked up, and saw Berwald's face had moved tantalizingly closed. He could taste his breath.

The look on his face asked him for permission. Tino granted it by slowly closing his eyes. It was a light kiss, only a distant floating that almost didn't exist. Even so, it set Tino's entire being on fire. And it ended all too soon to his tastes.

Berwald was looking at him expectantly, not wanting to push the Finn into doing things he didn't want to. If anything were to happen tonight, it was up to Tino to initiate it. And so he did.

"D-do you, uhm… Would you like to come in for coffee?" Tino asked, heart pounding rapidly in his chest.

Berwald gave him a smile, and Tino thought it quite suited him.

"L've to."


	2. Chapter 2

Tino had been invited to a party of one of his co-workers, Mathias Densen. He had been informed that everyone was allowed to bring one extra person. Naturally, Tino was thinking about asking his new boyfriend, Berwald Oxenstierna.

The two of them had been dating for little over a month now. Since that fated day in the elevator, the Swede never fully left Tino's mind. He occasionally found himself dreaming of blue eyes and gentle hands, and that gorgeous smile only he was familiar with. And it goes without saying, the sex was heavenly.

But now, Tino was nervous to ask Berwald. Not only because it was always Berwald inviting him, but also because nobody around the office knew about their relationship. He had no idea how the others would react. And to top it off, Berwald was still… well, Berwald. Tino now knew he wasn't as scary as he looked, but the other employees didn't.

Tino sighed as he poured himself a cup of tea. He would just have to discuss it with Berwald, see what he thought about it all. He just hoped his lover wouldn't be upset or anything.

The Finn jumped as the doorbell rang. He stole a glance at the clock: 7.30 PM. Strange, Berwald wasn't supposed to arrive yet. Nonetheless, Tino skidded to the front door, always happy to see his boyfriend again (Berwald had taken to calling Tino his 'wife', but Tino didn't really feel like calling Berwald his 'husband').

As soon as Tino opened the door, he was met by a bouquet of red roses and the shy yet stern looking face of the Swede.

"For me? Thank you!" Tino exclaimed as Berwald pushed the roses in his hands. "I'll just go put these in a vase!"

Berwald nodded before Tino turned around and went to his kitchen. His guest closed the door behind him and silently followed his wife's trail.

"You know, I wanted to talk about-"

Tino was cut off as he felt two strong arms snake their way around his waist. Surprised, he looked over his shoulder, only to find his lips being captured in a passionate kiss. Tino dropped the roses as he quickly lost himself in the embrace.

There would be no talking tonight.

* * *

Tino woke up to the sound of chirping birds and the soft glow of the morning sun filling his bedroom. When he opened his eyes, they immediately fell upon the sleeping face of his lover. Tino smiled blissfully. It was a Sunday morning, and they had nowhere to go. He felt completely at peace.

Tino started tracing circles on Berwald's face, gingerly following his cheekbone and placing light kisses on his closed eyelids. Berwald was soon stirred to the land of the awake. He smiled when he was met by a grinning Finn. He pulled his wife close, and nuzzled his hair, placing tiny kisses on it.

"M'rnin," he mumbled.

Tino chuckled. "Morning sleepy head. Have any good dreams?"

"'F y'," he answered, which could be translated to "Of you."

Tino lightly blushed as he buried his face in the crook of Berwald's neck. He loved cuddling like this. Berwald was perfect to cuddle with, even though his appearances would make you think otherwise.

They stayed like that for a couple of minutes before their peaceful state was disturbed by the audible growling of Berwald's stomach. Tino laughed as he pushed himself into a sitting position. Berwald seemed flustered about his body's behaviour, and also reluctant to let go of his lover.

"I guess I'll make some Kropser then!" Kropser were baked pancakes, a recipe Tino had learnt from his grandmother when he was still living in Finland as a little boy.

Berwald joined him in the kitchen as soon as he'd taken a shower to wash away the still lingering sleepiness. Tino had placed the forgotten roses in a vase. Luckily he had left them in the washstand which was filled with water, so they hadn't dried out. Berwald placed a good morning-kiss on Tino's forehead and then made some coffee for the two of them, already well-acquainted with Tino's kitchen after spending several nights at his apartment.

As Tino was taking two plates out of the cupboard, he suddenly remembered the party of next Friday. He carefully placed the Kropser on their plates, and after setting them down on his little table, he spoke up.

"So um, Berwald. I have a proposal, if you want to call it that."

Berwald looked up, face unreadable as ever, and waited for him to continue.

"Um… You know Mathias from sales?" Berwald nodded. You couldn't _not_ know Mathias, he always made sure everybody knew he was around. But loud and obnoxious as he could be, he was also very good at his job as a salesman.

"Yeah, so he's giving a party next Friday, and I'm invited. And he sort of said we could bring one other person, so…"

Berwald's eyes brightened with understanding. "So y' w'nt me t' c'me ?" he asked (more like stated), before taking a sip of his coffee.

Tino nervously twiddled with his thumbs. "I would love for you to come, but only if you want to! It's just that, well…"

Berwald looked up again, now frowning. Shit, Tino did not want him to get mad or misunderstand.

"It's just that, I like you very much, but I don't know how the others will think of you, you know? I-I mean, maybe they would think of our relationship as wrong, or they would find us disgusting, and I would hate it if anyone were to be disgusted by you because of me, and-"

Tino had gotten louder as he was finally able to voice his concern. He liked Berwald a lot, heck, he loved the guy (not that he'd told him yet), but two guys dating still wasn't universally accepted.

Tino cut off his ramblings as Berwald got up and pulled him into an embrace. He carefully articulated his next sentence, not wanting Tino to miss a thing.

"Don't worry 'bout me. I don't care what the others th'nk. Only you are important to m'."

It was the longest sentence Berwald had ever produced while pronouncing most of his vowels, and he looked slightly exhausted by it. Both men were blushing heavily at the hidden confession.

Tino put his arms around Berwald's shoulders and hugged him tighter.

"I know. But you are the CEO and all, I just don't want to cause any trouble for you."

"Th't's my concern. If y' want t' go t' the p'rty, I'll be h'ppy t' come w'th y'."

Tino shot him one of his biggest grins. "All right then. Ready to tell the others about our relationship?"

Berwald shot him one of those smiles Tino just loved. Maybe it still was a little soon to come out of the closet, but with Berwald by his side, he felt strong enough to do anything.

* * *

Tino was a lot less confident when both of them were taking the elevator up to the floor where the party was being held. One side of him wanted to let the whole world know of their relationship, but another, fairly larger side, just wanted to race back home and hide under the covers along with Berwald, keeping his lover all to himself.

They had decided not to talk about their relationship until someone asked them about it (which would probably come soon enough, seeing as Tino brought Berwald along as his date). Tino tried to swallow away the lump that had started forming in his throat. He felt his hand being squeezed, and looked up at his boyfriend. Berwald tried to look reassuring, but due to his own nerves his face had shifted back into his usual sternness. Tino realized Berwald must be feeling even less at ease, him not being able to hold long conversations and all.

Tino smiled widely and squeezed back, partly forgetting about his nerves. He had to be strong for the both of them. He was the one that had brought Berwald with him, and his boyfriend's position was a lot more important than his own. He couldn't screw this up, and he definitely couldn't make Berwald any more anxious than he already was.

"We'll be fine," he whispered, before placing a light peck on top of Berwald's nose. His frown slightly lessened, and he shot a light smile at Tino before the doors opened.

The party was already pretty lively. There was a table with snacks and an improvised bar that served various cocktails. There was a place in the middle of the room where a couple of people were dancing, the music was good and excited chattering could be heard.

Tino guided Berwald across the room, searching for the host. He thought it would be polite to let him know he had arrived, and that he had brought someone with him.

"Yo Tino!" a voice shouted.

Tino and Berwald looked around to see an already intoxicated Mathias coming their way. His eyes went wide with surprise when he saw Berwald, but he didn't falter.

"Glad you could make it! And good evening to you too, Berwald."

Berwald nodded stiffly. He was already feeling rather uncomfortable, mostly because of his nerves and the fact that some people had already thrown him some very frightened glances. Mathias however, wasn't fazed by his sudden appearance in the least.

"So yeah, booze is over there, grub's on that table, and the building's open until five. So, enjoy yourselves!"

He walked off after seeing Emil Steilsson and Lukas Bondevik enter the room, brothers (although they had only recently found out about that) and two of Mathias' best friends.

Berwald seemed to relax more as Tino pushed a drink into his hands and pulled him over to the side, away from the crowd. Nobody had questioned Berwald's appearance yet, but they did seem reluctant to come near him. Tino didn't care. If they didn't want to come near Berwald, he would bring Berwald to them.

Tino took Berwald by the hand and walked around the room, saying hi to everyone they encountered. As soon as his co-workers saw that Berwald was with him, they were more eager to accept his company. Tino was very likeable after all. If he could be friends with Berwald, then he probably wasn't such a scary guy after all. But they were still a little wary, so it didn't get any further than a greeting and a bit of small talk (to which Berwald replied with a "hm" or a shaking of the head most of the time).

Berwald relaxed even more when he saw the others didn't shy away from him like they used to in the office. In fact, he was beginning to enjoy himself. Especially since Tino was happy, and Tino's happiness meant the world to him.

His peace was soon disturbed by a very drunk Gilbert. People believed he had only gotten in the company through connections, his brother Ludwig being the boss and all. Only his friends Francis and Antonio knew what exactly it was he did for the company, but they never felt like enlightening the other employees. Tino had heard it had something to do with keeping other companies from snatching away their clients. And he also knew that Gilbert got even more obnoxious when he wasn't sober.

He could literally feel Berwald's anger rising as Gilbert kept winking at him, leaning forward to whisper obscenities into his ear. But when he tried to grope his ass on top of it all, Berwald had enough of his behaviour.

The Swede grabbed Gilbert's arm in a death-grip strong enough to make any grown man cry.

"K'p off 'f m' wife," he hissed.

At the same moment he spoke those words, the room had gone dead-silent, as a reaction to Gilbert's yelping. Tino felt his face heating up when he realized what his lover had just said. Berwald quickly released Gilbert's arm, but the damage was already done. Tino was absolutely certain they were done for.

What he didn't expect, was for Mathias to start laughing. "Dude, Gilbert! You really need to learn to stop harassing people!" Francis and Antonio quickly stepped in to remove their friend from the picture, pulling him onto the balcony for some fresh air.

Tino blinked sheepishly as the music started up again, and nobody seemed too shaken by Berwald's sudden outburst. Berwald didn't understand either. Mathias, Emil and Lukas walked up to them.

"Hey Tino, you okay? He didn't hurt you or anything, right?" Mathias asked, real concern on his face.

Tino blinked before shaking his head, still not sure how to react. Mathias smiled and turned to Berwald. "Sorry for his behaviour. He always gets like that when he's drunk. He definitely didn't mean to hurt your boyfriend!"

Berwald blinked as well, before nodding.

"W-wait!" Tino suddenly spat out. Mathias looked at him, one eyebrow raised in question.

"S-so… You guys are all okay with it? I-I mean, with me and Berwald being, you know…"

Mathias started laughing again. "Sure dude! And I mean, it was kinda obvious. Berwald has been visiting your office non-stop the past month." Tino started blushing again.

"And hey-" Mathias pulled Lukas close. "It's not like you're the only one around here!"

Lukas lightly choked Mathias with his own tie, but didn't break away from the hug. Tino and Berwald were still dumbfounded. Emil rolled his eyes and bent over to whisper something in Tino's ear.

"Don't mind them. You actually look kind of cute together."

Tino was beet red by now. Berwald possessively laid an arm around his shoulder and pulled him away from Emil, not knowing what he had said. Emil just shrugged and went back to the bar, followed by Lukas and Mathias (Mathias trying to kiss Lukas, while Lukas kept pushing him away but secretly enjoyed the attention).

"So… I guess everyone's okay with it then…" Tino said after a long pause. He looked up at Berwald, who was frowning and looked very confused.

"G'ss so," Berwald replied. (Guess so)

When the music slowed down, Tino's smile widened. This was wonderful news. He gently took Berwald by the hand and pulled him to the dance floor. Berwald, oblivious to his intentions, obediently followed. When they got to the dance floor, and Tino put Berwald's arms around his waist, the Swede looked flustered.

"Don't worry. Only look at me, all right?" Tino whispered.

Berwald nodded, and flashed him that special smile, reserved only to his lover. Everything was fine. Their co-workers knew about their relationship, and they had absolutely nothing against it. As long as the boss didn't find out (the man wasn't really pro-relationships at work; there were no written rules about it, but it was always for the better to stay on Ludwig's good side), everything would work out in the future.

Tino slowly placed his head on Berwald's chest, closing his eyes. He softly sang along with the lyrics of the song.

Berwald placed a gentle kiss on top of Tino's head. He wanted to stay like this forever. Never letting go, ignoring everyone around them. Only the two of them mattered.


	3. Chapter 3

A strange sense of déjà vu washed over Tino as the lift abruptly came to a halt. Especially since it was again only him and Berwald trapped in the rectangular box.

It had been exactly a year since him and Berwald had started dating. They had already started living together a couple of months ago, wanting to spend as much time together as possible. Tino had never been so in love before. No, he wasn't just in love. What he felt was more than a mere infatuation. He _loved_ Berwald, more than anything in the world. Every day was like another day in paradise. Sure, they'd had a couple of disputes, but they were always minor ones that could be easily taken care of. Yes, Tino was happy.

But it was very ironic they were stuck in the elevator once more. Tino giggled.

Berwald was staring at him, just as he had one year ago.

"Seems pretty familiar, huh?" Tino explained his giggling fit to him.

Berwald smiled, happy yet a tat nervous for some reason.

"You r'm'mber," he sighed.

"Of course I do, how could I forget?" Tino answered, smiling blissfully as he thought about the day that had started it all. He would have never expected getting stuck in the elevator would bring him such happiness.

"Y' know," Berwald said, bringing Tino back to the present.

"I w's in l've with y' b'fore that day."

Tino blushed at those words. This information was new.

"I've l'ved y' f'r a v'ry l'ng t'me n'w," Berwald continued.

Tino had never seen him this nervous. His own heart sped up at the sight of it. It was racing by the time Berwald got down to one knee. Berwald pulled out a tiny blue box, and looked Tino in the eyes. Were his eyes always this mesmerizing?

"Will you marry me?" Berwald asked, being very careful with the pronunciation.

He opened the box to reveal a simple yet dazzling engagement ring. Tino was speechless. He wondered if his heart would explode, it certainly could if it kept beating like that.

Tears started forming in the corners of his eyes as he slowly pulled Berwald back up.

"Yes," he whispered, before deeply kissing his lover.

Berwald felt his anxiety flow away as he kissed back. He had been nervous for no reason at all.

As they broke away for air, Berwald gently slipped the ring onto his finger. Tino looked at it for a moment, then back up at Berwald. He was the happiest man in the world right now. Berwald was too, finally making Tino his actual 'wife'.

Tino grinned as he realized something. "You made the lift stop, didn't you?"

Berwald smiled apologetically. Tino leant forward and kissed him on the tip of his nose.

"I love you."

"L've y' too."


End file.
